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LATEST
HAUNTS III
OLD
LATEST HAUNTS...
The Haunted Schoolhouse
On March 7,1997, Cosmic Society visited the home of Charlene and her son Jason to investigate the paranormal activity that had been occurring for quite some time. They live in an apartment complex in Ansonia, CT. that had once been a schoolhouse many years before.
It is built on land that once was a large farm and, like many homesteads in the early days, also included a family cemetery plot. The headstones, if any, have long since been removed, so it is possible that the apartments are built on or very near this location (they are also on the original stone foundation).
Charlene has lived here for 4 years and has had activity for about 2 of these years. Charlene was awakened at 4:45 a.m. one morning by Jason screaming. She ran to his room and found him sitting up in bed looking extremely scared. He asked her if she'd seen it, a small boy about 6-7 years old. She hadn't. He went on to explain that a banging on the wall had woke him up. When he looked around the room to find the source of the noise, he saw a boy, who was pale white and transparent, looking at him. The boy began to run in circles and then ran right out the window (the room is on the 2nd floor). She didn't think much of it at the time, possibly he'd been dreaming. She was relating the story the next day to a neighbor who couldn't believe it...she had also seen the boy, along with what she called "particles" floating around (ghost lights, possibly)! She also said she kept finding her refrigerator magnets rearranged and scattered, on the top half, where her small children couldn't reach. What's more interesting is the fact that the window the boy ran out of is directly across from the neighbor's outside wall. In one apartment, out to another?
Jason has also seen a group of children, lined up single-file, like you would for school, as he put it. None ever spoke, but Jason said they were looking at him as if to ask why he was there...he said they seemed puzzled. When he called Charlene, they simply all walked out the window.
Other occurrences have been witnessed by Charlene's friend Omar. One night while he was visiting, Charlene noticed a "steel-blue square" (she compared it to an oven mitt) hovering over the antique victrola in the corner of the living room. She asked Omar if he had seen anything, but before she could tell him what it was she had seen, he stopped her and told her what it was. He had also seen this when he'd stayed with them in December, but hadn't say anything. They concluded it might possibly be a "doorway" for spirits that ran from the victrola to Jason's room, a straight path.
Things also mysteriously disappear and reappear. A skeleton key to her grandmother's sideboard (we'll get to grandma later) that is kept in a shadow box on top disappeared for 6 weeks, the sideboard being locked, of course. Charlene searched everywhere but to no avail. Then one day, when she really needed to get something out of the sideboard, she opened the shadow box, just in case, and there was the key. Omar's headband disappeared off the bathroom vanity only to reappear 2 weeks later, in the exact same spot. He simply said of it..."It's the kid!"
There is also the word "JOE" that appeared scratched into the wall. It started as the letter "J", then a few months later Charlene noticed the "OE" had been added. It was in a small child's scrawl-like printing and was written at a level consistent with a young child's height. An adult or older child would have to kneel. Charlene questioned Jason and he hadn't done it (11 year olds don't write on walls, of their homes, anyway). Her boyfriend at the time was named "Joe", but he sure didn't do it.
Charlene's family history, along with that of her friends, could explain quite a bit as to why all this is happening. Her grandmother, who is still alive (and miserable Charlene says, she "always was and still is"), had a son Lionel, who at the age of 7, was struck and killed by a train. He was playing on the tracks with his older brother Reynold, when his foot became stuck on the rails. The brother tried to save him but couldn't. Grandma then waked him for a week and changed his clothes daily (in the coffin) after the mourners left. Charlene recalls looking at her grandmother's photo album as a child... a velvet covered book filled with family pictures...all taken in their coffins at their wakes!
Many of her friends are into the supernatural and the unexplained. Her best friend Hillary was the most involved, having studied all forms of the occult... both white and black. She didn't celebrate Christian holidays, she celebrated the pagan holidays (she considered herself pagan), liked to play "psychic head games" and went as far as she was capable of going in the black arts, without going to extremes (i.e. sacrificing or selling her soul to the devil). Charlene figured she would fall into the gray area of the occult. Hillary also had an abusive childhood and adult life. She tried to commit suicide several times before finally being successful in 1994. Charlene had to go to her house the day of the suicide to identify her (and it was she who settled the estate).
Later that weekend, Jason was sleeping with Charlene and she woke up to find him talking in his sleep. He kept saying "look in the baskets". She didn't think the voice sounded like Jason's and Hillary did collect them. That day, she went to Hillary's house, looked in the baskets (about 100 of them) and found all her important papers that they had searched for in the previous days and hadn't found.
Charlene still wears her coat and ring. When she asked me to hold the ring to see if I felt anything, a warmth immediately flowed through my entire body. Many of Charlene's friends have felt Hillary's presence. After she was cremated, they burned her deck of tarot cards, mixed them with her ashes and scattered them over a specific area that Hillary had requested in her will. The day before they did this, at 1:45 p.m., Charlene lost total power in the apartment. Hers was the only one in the entire complex. At the same time in New York, Omar and his wife also experienced a total power outage. Her friend Joe, who lives in Boston, had a light bulb explode, also at that time. A coincidence? There is also the time a friend, who had had a falling out with Hillary before her death, was at Charlene's talking negatively about her. He suddenly looked sick and collapsed to the floor. Charlene ran to him to see if he was o.k. and he said he'd been "zapped" by Hillary.
Charlene has many of her grandmother's and Hillary's possessions in her apartment. The victrola, sideboard, and a table are some of the grandmothers; many knick knacks, some jewelry and clothes are a few of Hillary's (there's much more belonging to both). Spirits are attracted to their former possessions and even though the grandmother is still alive, Lionel would still find these objects familiar.
After CSOPI videotaped the interview the the living room (Charlene always feels like something is watching her in this room), we proceeded to go outside and to the basement to take pictures. We left the video camera running, with it pointed at the victrola from Jason's bedroom doorway. We left at midnight. We took many rolls of film, but little turned up...a ghost globule outside. But the videotape was another story. We had just begun filming and you can see (in slow motion it stands out) this small black ball start swirling around the ceiling and then it shoots across the room, looking like a short silver ribbon as it passes under the standing lamp. to the victrola area in the corner. All the while this is happening, we're talking to Charlene and Jason. She was looking directly at it, but showed no sign of seeing it. None of us saw it either.
Then, after we'd gone outside, the apartment empty, the camera began to refocus itself. You could hear people talking but you couldn't make out what was being said, you could hear footsteps walk across to room, and on several occasions, it sounded like someone blowing gently on the microphone of the camera. We will be doing a follow-up on this case and will keep you informed on the outcome.
Bonnie Tice
In this time of growing awareness, many people are becoming accustomed to paranormal phenomenon; and, most of this awareness is in their own home. The classic haunted house with cobwebs and lightening bolts are a thing of the past. We now realize that spirits roam this plain as freely as we do without the ambiance once given to the circumstance. Some of these souls may still be here or lost because of tragic or sudden deaths. Others may have such a fond attraction to their previous residence they desire to stay; and, yet others are here to guide and protect their loved ones. If you think you are experiencing a haunting but are not quite sure if it is your imagination, start by making a log of incidents. You should keep a journal, dedicated strictly for this purpose. You should enter dates, times, and all events no matter how mundane or trivial they may seem. Here are just a few examples of the types of incidents you may log (these by no means are the only things to look for): Footsteps - sounds of foot fall in an empty or unoccupied room, hallway or staircase.
Voices - Voices from an unknown source. Intelligible voices may emerge before dangerous actions as a warning or at intense moments of emotion. Some voices may be, and most times are, mumbled and some what out of sequence. Noises - unexplainable tapping, clicking and knocking throughout the home or property.
Behavior Changes - Many times hauntings affect people and animals in the home. Unexplained arguments, fights or moodiness may be attributed to the phenomenon.
Cold Spots - a sudden change in the temperature in a room or a specific area of a room. The drop in temperature is often attributed to an entity drawing energy unto itself.
Tingling Sensations - just as it says, a tingling sensation over any part of the body that is not caused by circulatory problems.
Spirit Images - Sometimes simple movement of a form, shape or color. At times, the experience of an actual visual emergence of the entity whether it is straight on or through peripheral vision - these can be fleeting or sustained moments. This is when you must trust your judgment and not write it off to your imagination. Log it in your journal.
Physical Contact -Sometimes the entity can physically touch or interfere with a person, an animal, and especially objects. The brush of a hand across the back; suddenly missing objects that may reappear; or, a dog growling at nothing obvious. Here are some ways to substantiate your experiences, in addition to your log. Many times, these methods offer the most credibility to your research and experience.
Photography - Take photos of a suspicious room or area. For best results use a 35mm camera with ASA 400 or ASA 1000 or the new Kodak Gold Max film. Be sure to remove any type of camera strap or other dangling objects from the camera housing: these can swing in front of the lens and interfere with your photos. Be sure to put fresh batteries into your camera - if your experience an unexplainable power drain while taking the pictures, this loss can be connected to a spirit's manipulation of your camera. When processing, ask your photo lab to print everything no matter what - especially if you are photographing your property outside at night. Many labs believe these to be overexposed and decide not to waste money printing them. They do not know what you are shooting and will assume the worst. Spirit photography is not for everyone; meaning, you may not pick up anything. Then again, you may. The results vary, for what reasons no one knows regardless of all theories available. We do know that there are similarities in the results. Globules are circular shapes that look like bubbles. These are the most common forms caught on film. Light shafts, dark lines and spikes may also appear (some can be attributed to light leaks - especially when they appear in the same place on several or all photos) However, the emergence of one in a series of photos lessens the chances of this being such. And the most convincing of all photos is capturing an actual image of a person that was not in view when you snapped the photo (while rare these are the most impressive). Video and Audio Recording- Place a video camera and/or an audio recorder in a room or area where the most activity is present. Let it run without human intervention; or simply put, leave it alone and leave the room. You may even want to leave the house for a short period of time. With both audio and video listen for sounds or voices that may be present, rule out all human activity in the house, first before classifying this as a haunting. When viewing the video, before sure to listen but also take notice of any movement in the room, refocusing of the lens for no reason and any actual emergence whether in the form of a person or animal unexplainable shape - leave no image that may appear to chance. Now that you have your research information together, what do you do now? Share it. This may be the hardest part of all. Please do not under estimate your friends and family, you will probably be rather surprised by the positive response and understanding they will give you. But, also remember that when any of the phenomenon are intense, or seem to escalate to a point of uneasiness or fear, you should share this information with a professional team trained to handle such cases.
Donna Kent and Gary Alan
Halloween. You can't even say the word without conjuring up thoughts of children. Or of ghosts and spirits. Its a day of the year when we give recognition to the souls of the deceased and they are said to have free reign to roam the physical plane. It doesn't have to be Halloween however for the interplay of spirit energies to be present in the everyday lives of our youngsters. Children are naturally more attuned psychically to beings from other realms, having more recently arrived from the spirit world themselves, than adults.
How many times has a parent offhandedly dismissed their child's tales of an "imaginary friend", as being just that- a figment of an overactive imagination? I've had many clients call me only after they themselves or another adult has witnessed paranormal activity in their homes, and they say "You know, my son/dau-ghter first told me she was seeing/hearing/sensing phenomena months ago, but I thought for sure they were just imagining it."
Children are born into this world with at least one spirit entity, most commonly their guardian angel, who will serve to guide and protect them along their life's path. I have found these guardians who can also be deceased grandparents or other relatives (even a lost twin), make themselves known quite frequently on film when the youngster is being photographed randomly. These photos often serve as reminder to me that spirit energies are all around us, even when we are not focusing on them and even when they are farthest from our minds. These entities are not always of a human nature, some may be elementals, animal spirits, angelic or other forms.
A beautiful example of shared loving emotion was related to me by my own 10 year old daughter, Chloe. Chloe, Justin (her 4 year old brother) and I were all enjoying the sunshine and our pool in our fenced back yard a few short weeks ago.
Our dog Rudy, a beagle, was busy batting something around and we went to investigate what it was that intrigued him so. To our horror, we discovered it was a little bird, who just layed there and by all accounts looked dead. We took Rudy inside and went back to check on the bird. To our amazement he was up and hopping around, although it seemed he could no longer fly. Both of my children couldn't comprehend the fact that Rudy, their beloved, could have harmed a poor little birdie. I found myself thinking "Oh no, I don't want any death vibes in my yard "and Justin kept repeating "poor birdie, mommy" but it was Chloe who was beside herself and seemed the most distraught. She went inside to fetch a shoebox complete with shredded tissue paper and a small cup of water and popcorn for the sparrow. We placed him outside of the gate to our yard and watched him for awhile, cheering everytime he attempted to peck at the popcorn or hop inside the shoebox.
Well, by now it was dinner time and we retreated indoors to begin preparations for supper. Rudy was let outside to roam his yard again. What we didn't know was that the little bird had gotten back into the yard and back into Rudy's clutches, this time fatally. We were all distressed and depressed as we had so much hope for the bird's recovery the first time around. Now it was over.
The night progressed and the children went to bed. I had a meeting with a client and returned at 11:20 pm.
Chloe had heard me come in and lay in her bed awake. It was at this time she said a small bird flew and fluttered around her room! She could see it visually and hear its tiny wings. She jumped up out of bed and awoke her dad, pulling him with her back to her room and proclaiming there was a bird in there! He told her she must have been dreaming, yet to appease her checked all the windows and found them all securely closed and locked.
She relayed the story to me over breakfast the next day, and the fact that she felt so happy and peaceful because she knew (as did I) the littel bird who she had cared so much for just hours earlier in the day had come back to let her know that he was OK, free to fly once again, in spirit.
Being a Paranormal Investigator and Psychic Photographer, my children have been exposed to many situations, stories and experiences of mine that aren't in the norm of most other families. I have always been very frank and honest with them, and have taught them that with faith in God (or higher power) they never have anything to fear (Chloe knows the White Light technique - Justin points out graveyards while we're driving and says "Mommy's Ghosts"), and of course they have no need to know just yet about the darker side of nature, and some of the truly frightening situations I have been involved in on certain negative haunting investigations.
This Halloween, when 3 foot tall little ghosts and goblins come knocking at your door, be aware that its not just their parents who stand watch over them from the foot of your driveway, but helpful spirit attendants of all kinds, and consider that your "treat" for the evening.
Donna Kent
Do animals have a soul? To anyone who has had relationships with them the answer is a resounding YES! How can our pets, our friends and devoted companions, these creatures that have warmed our hearts so much that they are considered bonafide members of the family not have a soul? I don't believe that we could develop our warm and loving relationships with them if there wasn't a soul or spirit inside them.
I have worked for an animal hospital on and off for about 17 years now and I have seen a lot of animal/people interactions. Many of our clients are so attached to their pets that they , in the event of their death, will have the remains cremated and the ashes returned to the family. This is actually quite common, the ashes are usual kept in a special place or buried in a private family "pet cemetery". Sometimes the cremains are saved for a different purpose, as in the case of my grandfather, he saved his little corgie's ashes until his own death, where, upon his request, we placed the ashes in his coffin. We did recently get an unusual request from a very good client of ours. She had a lawyer draw up papers that gave our veterinarian permission to euthanize her four cats in the event of her death , so that their ashes, hers, and a previous cats ashes could be mixed together and spread over her parents graves! She firmly believes their lives would be empty without her and wants them with her -she raised them literally from infancy. ( CSOPI strongly disagrees with the use of euthanasia in such cases)!
Our animal hospital uses the services of a pet cemetery in Gaylordsville, CT, where our clients have the option to bury their pet's remains on the grounds with a touching stone marker and memorial service. (Cosmic took a group up there this past summer on our first annual ghost hunt to take photos).
Cosmic's psychic, Gary Alan does not feel that animals are earthbound because of attachment to their final resting place (unlike people who tend to haunt the graveyards where they were interred).
So, if there are ghostly animal spirits, where do they go? Usually, they stick around their former owners, waiting, watching.
My sister in law, Dayna, told me of her experience with Simms, their peach colored tabby cat. After being very sickly for several months, Simms was taken to his Florida animal clinic where he was diagnosed with lyphoma, and , sadly died within 24 hours after his admission. The family was heartbroken with his passing. Even Simm's partner and playmate Maxx (a grey and white kitty) missed him terribly. A few nights after his death, Dayna woke to give her infant son a late night feeding. While sitting in the nursery with her son on her lap, she looked up to see the familiar outline of Simms curled up in his usual spot., Not believing her eyes, she looked away and back again, but Simms was still there. Then as if to confirm what she was seeing, Maxx got up, walked directly over to the spot, sniffed it inquisitively and curled up contentedly in it. Perhaps Simms was trying to relay a message to the family that he was still with them in spirit and he was O.K.
I know that I have felt the presence of ghostly cats ( and I have had many cats in my life!!) around my home. Most often, its nighttime and as I am trying to fall asleep I feel the familiar weighted footsteps of what I think is one of my house cats. When I reach down to pet one of them, nothing is there. After this happens several times I realize its not one of my "earthly" cats and I go to sleep.
My cousin Jennifer sometimes feels a phantom cat on her bed at night, she's even felt it move back and forth across her body. She has no idea why this cat comes to her, it isn't a former pet because she has always been allergic to them and never had one of her own. There is , however, a male spirit that has been haunting her home for many years, could the cat be associated with this entity? (this haunting is another story all together!)
Does the love and devotion we share with our pets keep our connections with them into the spirit world? I think just like our friends and loved ones, they are waiting for us on that other plane.
Carrie Reiss
Copyright © 1995-2002 Donna Kent/Cosmic Calendar.
